Hi,

We have been invited to a puppy Party held at our Vets, they say its good for puppies to get to know other pups, and then onto training once a week.

Has anyone ever gone to these parties? What do they do at one?

Many thanks

I have been to two and I wouldn't do it again.  They were 'supervised' by a young nurse who had no experience in animal behaviour.  The timid ones were terrified and the balshy ones even more balshy by the end of the evening.

I am sure there are good ones around, but it is hard to find out in advance how good they are.

Sandra

I've been to Puppy Parties too, and I'll have to say they were great fun.  The first was when Tyne was about 3  months old and there were about 6 other pups there around the same age and they had great fun, our vet nurse explained about socialsing, insurance and other general stuff and we got a goody bag full of freebies too! The second one was at around 6 months old and it was a bit more manic but just as much fun!  Is there anyone else you know who has dogs who might have been to one at your vet's before and may give you an idea how well managed it was?

Emma

hi,
    Must say my experiences have been much like sandras.
Yes they are usually taken by young nurses who dont know everything.
If it were me i would go once to check it out,the most important factor which i would comment on is that the puppies are NOT loosed off the lead to play with other pups,control is always needed.
When we took our bullmastiff bitch(when she was a puppy) there were two really fiesty/nasty west highland terriers there.
They systematically would gang up on zena(who was minding her own business) and hang off her flews,the owners thought this highly amusing,a little dog picking on a big dog.I stomached this for 3 sessions,(the nurses didnt seem to mind the puppies~"playing") by this time zena was changing and becoming quite fear aggressive,which was unlike her.
I took her out immediately and joined our local ringcraft instead where she could interact with other dogs but in a controlled(on the lead)manner.Within days she had reverted back to her normal happy,friendly self and luckily to this day it has not scared her and she is friendly with any size of dog.
I firmly believe if id have carried on going to the puppy parties subjecting her to cruelty from these two pups,i would have made her into a loose cannon where other dogs were concerned.
Im not trying to put you off going, as you can learn things(if you are a newbie dog owner) and you do sometimes get freebies!!!!!all i would say is that puppies are very impressionable at that age,and the behaviour they learn in the first few months sticks for life!!!!!

                                             samantha

I would say to anyone that one of the best places to take a pup for interdog socialisation is ringcraft.  Itis not normal for pups to interact with many dogs of a similar age to themselves once they leave the liter, what they need is to learn manners around all ages and types of dog.

Thsi is far easier done at Ringcraft than Obedience classes as most of teh tiem is spent waiting to be seen by the person acting as judge, so loeads of time jusrt to soak up tyhe atmosphere and to learn how to behave around other dogs and people.

Yep I agree, both my 2 collies have been to ringcraft for socialisation and it's been brilliant, although we haven't been able to overcome their hatred of boxers yet!

Char

A good puppy party is a very good idea - a bad puppy party should be avoided at all costs.  Unlimited free play teaches nervous puppys that there are a lot of things to be worried about, and Mum will reward nervous behaviour (because she's not been taught how to react to it by the supervisor) and a good puppy party will teach you and your pup how to be a team and work together, how you should be the MOST important thing in your puppies life, and how it's actually more fun to STOP doing what you're told and return to Mum.....

NO dog activity should ever be 'manic' as this implies nobody has any control.

I took my pup to a vets puppy party and the good side was that she adores going into the surgery :)

Bad side was that there was too much free for all playing and no control - some pups learn to ignore owners, to bully or to be scared or to show early fear aggression unless a good trainer or behaviourist is supervising. Vet nurses bless 'em may not understand the subtle things that are happening can make or break a pup for life in some cases. Maybe go along and watch if you get a chance just to see how they are supervised?

Do be careful, really. Consider holding out for puppy socialisation classes run by clued up trainers instead :)

Lindsay
X

Find a good obedience class where puppies are socialised according to size/age/temperament. Puppies parties can be great - or they can be a nightmare that stays with your puppy for a long time. They should not be carried out by anyone without sufficient experience.